


The Approaching Storm

by Shenanigans_sds



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Angst, BDSM, F/M, M/M, Multi, Top Link, Top Rhett
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-09
Updated: 2019-02-18
Packaged: 2019-10-25 07:12:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17720549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shenanigans_sds/pseuds/Shenanigans_sds
Summary: Rhett and Link are married and looking for a submissive to complete their kinky little family.  What happens when the submissive chosen has a secret?





	1. Mist

Turning the car off, Cassie sat for a second, as the heat from outside started to creep in. It was a scorcher and she knew she was going to have to get out before too long. But she wasn’t ready yet. When the message came through last night from her old dominant, she had eagerly accepted the third party invite. After all, her reputation had gotten her into a number of play scenarios before. She was proud of how respected she was in the community. 

This was all new, though. One, she had never bottomed for a novice before, which is what this meeting was about. Two, the men involved had kept themselves completely a secret. Why wouldn’t they reach out personally once they had the go ahead from her ex? Was there something to hide? Something that they didn’t want her to know before it was too late? That was why she had insisted on a very public restaurant at lunch time. If there was anything wrong, anything that felt weird, she could leave. Instantly. And they couldn’t follow her without someone noticing and, hopefully, stopping them.

“Deep breaths, Cassie. Deep breaths. They aren’t going to murder you!” She laughed at the shakiness in her voice and was about to open the door when her phone rang. Reaching into her purse, she snagged it quickly and opened the door at the time same time. Not even looking at the screen, she swiped and brought it up to her ear.

“Hello, this is Cassandra. How may I help you?” Hitting the lock button twice on her key fob, she heard the tell tale, bleep bleep, letting her know that she was locked tight.

“That seems a little formal. Are you still at work?” The deep voice coming through the phone made her smile and stop walking, leaning against the hood of her car, facing the Panera she was about to head into.

“No sir, I am not still at work. But I’m still in work mode. Did you need something?” 

“Now Cassie, I told you that you no longer have to call me sir, since you don’t wear my collar anymore.” 

“I know. It’s a habit. I’m about to head in, did you need something? I don’t want to be late.” His chuckle came through the line. He knew how much she hated being late. It had caused more than one argument in their relationship.

“I just wanted to wish you luck. I know how nervous you are. I won’t say there are no need for nerves, these men are highly respected. But they will treat you respectfully. And remember. You can say no. Now or later.” She breathed deeply, closing her eyes. It is so nice to be known by someone so completely.

“You’re right. I’m hella nervous.” He laughed gutterly at that, making here smile reach all the way across her face. “But, I think most of it is the secrecy. Once I see their faces, I think it will help.”

“Well, if they are not a match, there is a waiting list, my dear. You are wanted. And you can be picky. But I felt that these gentlemen were the best match for you. Now head inside before you are late. Don’t want to add more stress to your day.” 

“Michael?” Her voice hesitated slightly, still feeling unnatural using his given name.

“Yes Cassandra?”

“May I call you when I leave, or if I have any questions? I just want the reassurance someone will be waiting.” Her voice was small now and she knew he was picturing her as he had last seen her. On her knees, her hair in front of her face, tears streaking down. Sad and resigned to the end of their agreement.

“You can always call me. But I will be expecting your call within the hour, as I know you have to head back to work. If I don’t hear from you, I will call you at 1:30. Answer, or I will start to make additional inquiries.” Now was her turn to laugh loudly. 

“Slight overkill Michael, but don’t worry. I will call you on my drive back. Now I am late, so goodbye.” His goodbye was muted as she took the phone away from her ear and started walking towards the front door, tucking the phone into her purse before heading inside.

The air conditioning hit her skin with a blast and she almost audibly sighed. This was what she hated about California. The heat was a nightmare 11 months a year, and there was never really a reprieve. The agreement, made through Michael, was that she would arrive about 10 minutes ahead of the men, enough time to get something to eat and find a slightly secluded table. She had a copy of a book, Dark Lover by J.R. Ward, and she would put the book on the table, facing out, so they could identify her. Although she suspected they had already seen pictures. No one picked a long term sub sight unseen. 

She ordered her almond milk caramel latte and danish and grabbed the little buzzer they handed her and went to scope out a table. Her hand was shaking as she found a back corner booth, with no one sitting anywhere close by. Lunch time was supposed to be busy, but she had guessed wrong. 

The buzzer in her hand went off, snapping her out of the mind spiral she had gotten sucked into. Heading to the counter, she heard the front door open, but ignored it. This latte was bound to be the best thing about this day. Snagging a few napkins, her table awaited her, and she wanted that danish. Sitting down, her mind still racing a mile a minute, she fidgeted with the book, while securely putting her purse beside her. She didn’t think that one of the men would want to sit next to her, but if they did, she wanted a buffer.

Picking at her danish, her head was down, hair covering the part of her face towards the main dining room. She didn’t notice the foot steps that came to stand at the end of the table.

“Is that all you are eating?” Her head snapped up at the question. And the blue eyes that greeted her were so glaringly familiar that she nearly forgot to breathe. 

“Are you going to answer my question? Is that all you are going to eat?” His tone, now with a slight annoyed edge, snapped her out of her stupor. 

“Yes. I’m not hungry.” The man harrumphed, clearly not happy with her answer, but sat down across from her, scooting into the booth until he was pressed against the wall. She licked her lips, suddenly cresting the hill from nervous to downright, soul clenching anxiety. This was no mere dominant, just looking for a play partner. This was Link Neal, and he couldn’t be here for what she was here for. That was the stuff of fanfiction! This didn’t happen in real life. Before she could do anything more than stare, though, another man approached the booth. Well, man was a little inaccurate. Giant was more like it.

Rhett slid in next to Link, folding his hands on the table after he had slid a bowl of salad in front of Link along with silverware and a napkin. Cassie hadn’t noticed the drinks that Link had brought to the table until she watched Rhett reach for one, and bring the straw to his lips. 

They don’t know you know who they are. Don’t say anything. That will not work well in your favor. Her little pep talk almost made her miss the quiet exchange between Rhett and Link.

Rhett leaned over to Link. “Is that all she’s eating?” His head gesturing down to the danish. She almost rolled her eyes but then caught herself. They didn’t know that food habits was a hard limit for her. It was unfair to judge them before they had fully looked over lists.

“That’s what she said. Said she wasn’t hungry for anything else.” Rhett’s eyes glanced over the table finally, sweeping from her midline where the table hid her from view, up. He ended at her eyes.

“Is that true? You aren’t hungry?” His eyebrow quirked up. She had seen that move a hundred times. And she could not believe it was directed at her right this moment.

“Yes” came out broken and felt like it had gotten stuck in her throat. She paused, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and tried again. “Yes”. This time her answer was strong and forceful. She was not a sniveling little sub. Cassie held her head up and looked into his eyes. Rhett half smiled and looked at Link.

“Well, if that’s all she’s hungry for, I guess that’s all she’s eating.” Rhett started to shovel food in his face, not really stopping to chew. She stared for a moment before remembering it was rude, and had to tear her eyes away. 

There was silence at the table for a couple of minutes as Cassie picked at the danish and tried to drink her latte. It was still to hot though. In no time, Rhett was done with his salad, and stood, taking his dishes over to the dish deposit area, and then came back, once again taking a seat beside Link.

“We are Rhett and Link.” In that moment, she had a choice. She could say, I know, but that may mean they wouldn’t want her anymore. Why would they agree to play with a Mythical Beast? So she kept her mouth shut. If she felt she needed to, she could fill them in later. Now was not the time.

“We have been married about 6 years, and we run a company together. And we are both dominants. We prefer to share a bottom, a submissive, and have typically had male submissives. But after our last relationship ended, we decided that we wanted to explore our bisexual sides, so we asked Michael for a recommendation on a female submissive. And he led us to you.” Rhett had been maintaining eye contact the whole time he spoke. Trying to gauge her reaction, maybe? Cassie was good though. Ten plus years in the lifestyle, she knew when to react and when to hide what she was thinking.

“Michael sent me the message last night saying a gay married couple was looking for a submissive. I didn’t realize that you were bisexual. That actually answers a couple of questions for me. I couldn’t figure out why a gay couple would want a female submissive!” Her smile was authentic, reaching up to her eyes, and Link chuckled, causing her eyes to drift to him. Rhett’s smile was sweet, but Link’s was downright predatory. This was not a side that he had ever shown in the many seasons she had watched them. 

“I can see why you would think that. It must have sounded unusual.” Link’s smile softened a bit, his humour making him look so young and approachable. 

Cassie decided that now was her turn. She hated this part, but she also didn’t put up with shit. She had needs and desires and wants, and she deserved to have them fulfilled. This relationship shouldn’t only be for the dominant members.

“Michael had said you were looking for a submissive. I brought my list with me, along with some pertinent information. My sub-resume, if you will.” On this, she reached into her purse and pulled out the folder, sliding it across the table at Link. “I negotiate to hard limits, I don’t do one of those crazy checklists. Those things are so arbitrary. And I am looking for a full dominant/submissive relationship. I need the power exchange. I need the play. And I need sex. If none of that sounds doable, I understand.” With that, she took a deep breath, sat back, and folded her hands in her lap.

Rhett and Link looked at each other, and then turned their heads to Cassie. 

“That sounds very doable.”


	2. Drizzle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No one is good at waiting.

Cassie gave a small smile and looked again at the men she had only seen through her computer screen.

“Great. I’m glad that you think it’s doable. Everything you need to know about me, well, at least the basics, is in that folder. I think you should take some time, read it over, and then we can set up a time for a more private meeting. Does that sound good?” She wasn’t forceful or demanding. But her tone told them everything they needed to know. Cassie Peters was no doormat, and would not be treated as such. EVER.

Rhett was the first to speak. “That sounds great. I take it you’ve done this before?” There was a small chuckle at the end. Not a judgy tone at all. Almost like he enjoyed how sure of herself she was.

“I have done this a couple of times, although it’s been a few years. I haven’t been in any formal relationship since Michael, so it’s been almost a year for me. But I know what I like and what I expect. I don’t put my needs on the backburner just to play nice. “ Cassie picked up her coffee and brought it to her lips, all while maintaining eye contact with Rhett. She could see Link out of the corner of her eye and he was fidgeting with the folder. Like he was just dying to know what was inside.

Looking at her phone screen, Cassie cursed softly. “Fuck. Okay, I have to get back to work. You have my number, so I’ll wait for your phone call. If I don’t hear from you by tomorrow night, I’ll understand that you aren’t interested. No hard feelings. And you can always call Michael if you have any questions, although I can answer most anything.” She grabbed her bag and stood, looking at the men who had both turned to watch her exit.

Rhett went to get up and Cassie waved him back. “No, stay. I’ll walk myself out.” With a small wave goodbye, she went to the exit. The heat was a slap in the face as she exited, and she hurried to her car, throwing open the door and starting the car in just a couple of seconds. She was late. Late late. And that didn’t happen to her. She had a meeting in half an hour, and it was going to take her at least 20 minutes to get back to the office. This was not how she liked to meet clients for the first time.

Remembering her conversation with Michael, Cassie prompted her car to call him. He picked up after the second ring.

“I was getting worried. You’re late.” His smile was so obvious that it was contagious.

“I know. I’m smacking myself right now. I never lose track of time like this! I’m rushing back to the office. But I need to know something.”

“Shoot.” She heard a phone ring somewhere in the background and knew that she was pulling time away from his work. This couldn’t wait, though.

“You said they were novices. They said that they had submissives before.” Neither of those statements were questions, but the implication was clear. He needed to talk, and he needed to do it now.

“Rhett used to bottom exclusively to Link and their last partner was Rhett’s brother submissive. He played switch a few times, and liked it. I guess he wants to experience the world from the D side of the slash now.” Cassie made a face, almost an “okay that makes sense” gesture, to the empty car. Rhett didn’t put off a bottom vibe. Maybe he had been hiding his dominant side for longer than the community knew.

“Okay, sounds good. Hey I’m pulling into work. I gotta go. Talk to you later.” Her voice was rushed and Michael knew better than to keep her on the phone.

“Have a good rest of the day. You know where to find me if you need me.” With that, he hung up and Cassie rushed inside. Once in her office, she set everything out and finally took a moment to take a deep, cleansing breath. She had to put submissive Cassie away and bring out work Cassie. Otherwise she would never be able to concentrate.

A knock at the door made her lift her head and plaster on her best smile.

“Hi, please come in. I’m Dr. Peters. It’s so lovely to meet you.”

The rest of the day sped by and, before she knew it, her last client was heading out the door, and she was ready to run home. Straightening up her office took less than 5 minutes and then she had her bag and purse over her shoulder and headed back into the parking lot. The sun was already starting to set and the heat was abating. It wasn’t going to be a total nightmare tonight!

The ride home was almost completely achieved through mental autopilot. Her meeting with Rhett and Link consumed her thoughts and she knew she was going to have a terrible time waiting for that phone call. Or no phone call. It really was up to them. She wouldn’t beg. But damn did she want to beg. She wanted to throw all of her rules out and just agree point blank to anything they wanted. Because that was super healthy!

Once she got home, Cassie pulled on workout gear and snagged her headphones. A run would clear her mind.

But 4 miles later, no luck. She couldn’t breathe from the uphill sprints, but Rhett and Link were just on rotation right now. It didn’t help that she had a couple of their songs in her running playlist, which she had never really paid attention to until now. Well if a run didn’t work, maybe wine would. And if that didn’t work...then maybe a lobotomy.

It was going to be a long 24 hours.

Getting home, she checked her phone and saw the texts from Michael.

_You are driving yourself crazy. I hope you are doing something constructive with all that energy._

_You know, it’s still creepy when you do that._

_You like creepy! Also, we were together for 3 years. It was my job to know when you were stressed._

_Good point. Okay, well a run didn’t work, so I’m going to try wine._

_Don’t over do it. But that might be just what you need. Also, meditate or yoga. I know you typically do that in the morning, but maybe you need to double up today, haha_

Cassie shook her head. Michael really did know her so well. It was one of the reasons their relationship ending was so brutal. No one else could even come close to Michael’s attention to detail.

_I’ll give that a try. Kiss the girls for me. Night_

Not waiting for a reply, she tossed the phone on her bed, stripped out of her nasty clothes, and jumped in the shower.

The hot water was just what the doctor ordered. It seemed to wash away the anxiety and she actually was able to process her day, running over the meeting with her newest client. There was something off about him, but she was sure she could get to the bottom of it. By the time she turned the water off, she had a plan in place to call his former therapist and get his detailed chart. Maybe even have a sit down with the therapist. Going in with preconceived notions wasn’t always advisable, but when a client made you uncomfortable, it’s better to have all the info!

Cassie dried off quickly and put a towel around her hair. She was ready for that wine now. Not bothering with a robe or anything (she lived alone, after all), she migrated to her kitchen and cracked the fridge. Thankfully she still had half a bottle of wine from the weekend. Pouring it into a mug, because who needs a wine glass when you aren’t trying to be fancy, she stopped for a second and listened to the silence of her house. It was a great house, something she could afford after her split with Michael. Living alone, though, was not her forte. And she was ready for the silence to end.

As she thought those words, her phone rang. No! It wasn’t ringing. It was facetime! Someone was trying to facetime her! Throwing her arm out and grabbing the phone, she saw a face pop up she was not ready to see. Why were they calling now?!

She had to answer. She had to. She had said she would answer if they called. But she was naked!!!!

Her brain was spiraling, but she accepted the chat and pointed that camera straight up to the ceiling. They were not seeing her naked for the first time over video chat!

“Hi...Cassie? Is everything okay?” Link’s voice really sounded concerned. And more than a little confused.

“Yeah, everything is fine. I’m glad you called.” Cassie’s voice was shaky. And she was trying not to laugh at the insanity of this situation. Hopefully they wouldn’t ask

“Why can’t we see you?” This was Rhett talking. And she had to answer.

“Truthfully?”

Link cleared his throat. “That’s how we prefer you answer all of our questions, so yes.”

“So, I was in the shower and got out and needed wine and didn’t get dressed or anything so…” She trailed off as she heard the laughs from the other end of the phone. It took a second, but Rhett cleared his throat and spoke.

“Well we understand. Since now is a bad time” more laughing from the boys, although Cassie wasn’t fully ready to join in quite yet “how about tomorrow night? We could meet for dinner at this little Indian place downtown, and we could have a full discussion.”

Cassie couldn’t keep the smile out of her voice. “I would like that”

“Well then” Link spoke up this time “We will see you then. And we do hope to actually, SEE, you.”

She hated how quickly she blushed and got embarrassed at this stuff. “Don’t worry, I will be fully presentable. If one of you could text me the details, I’ll plan to see you tomorrow night.”

“I’ll take care of that” Rhett said, and almost instantaneously her phone dinged.

“Okay, well then. Tomorrow night.” Cassie wanted to see their faces. Get a read on what they were feeling. But it was not to be. She really did not want to show off just how naked she really was.

“Tomorrow night” Link said. And the video chat was cut off.

A deep sigh came from Cassie.

“I need the rest of that wine!”


	3. Fog

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First negotiations and Cassie decides it's time to tell the guys her secret.

The address that Rhett had texted was less than 10 minutes from Cassie’s work, so she decided to take a change of clothes to work with her. That way she wouldn’t have to drive back and forth during rush hour. Plus that means that she can take care of some extra work before the weekend, actually allowing her to have a weekend. It was rare she didn’t work on the weekends. When you’re single and run your own business, what else is there to do?

She thought Friday would take forever, but before she knew it, her last client was walking out. Taking a second to breathe, she checked her phone. Which she had been doing way too much today. There were no new messages, no new information. Just the same message from Rhett saying where to meet them and when. Cassie had 2 hours, so she decided to get ready before she did any extra work. She didn’t want to be rushing at the end.

Closing herself into the bathroom off of her office, she slipped out of her business skirt and blouse, and pulled her jeans and tank top out of her bag. Over her tank top, she slipped a jacket and put on heeled lace up boots, to make the jeans look a little better. Looking in the mirror, she did a full 360, pulling her best owl impression trying to check out her entire outfit. Not too needy. Not too sexy. But not too casual. She hoped they would approve.

Quickly touching up her makeup and adding some more eyeliner and mascara, to make her eyes pop a little more than she normally would, she gave her image a nod. It was as good as it was going to get. Keeping her hair in a high ponytail was an easy decision. It actually worked with the whole aesthetic she was trying to pull off.

“Dude, you got this. Calm the fuck down. They want to meet. No promises. But UGHHHHHHHHH!” Her growl of frustration reverberated off of the walls of the bathroom and she quickly stuffed her work clothes into her bag and went back to her desk.

Cassie pulled her email up and decided to send an email about her new client to Dr. Johnson, his former therapist. She had a bunch of questions about why he was transferring care, what he initially sought treatment for, and so much more. Hopefully he would get back to her before their next appointment on Tuesday.

By the time she was done with the email, it was close to 6:30 and Cassie decided to wrap up for the day. Putting the stuff she needed to work on in her work back, she slung her bags over her shoulder, shut off the lights, and locked up. It still amazed her that she was practicing alone at 30. It was a dream come true, and something she never could have accomplished without the push from Michael. He had been so good to her, and she never could repay him for how much he had changed her mindset. Hopefully this date tonight would be another check mark in the “Michael knows what he’s doing” column.

Pulling into a parking space around the back of the restaurant, Cassie had 7 minutes. 7 minutes to make sure she wasn’t going to throw up. Grabbing her bag, making sure her phone was inside, she got out and locked the car as she walked to the restaurant entrance. Coming around the other side of the building were 2 extremely gorgeous men. The men she was here to meet.

No time like the present.

“Hi guys.” She tried to be casual. She really, really did. But her voice sounded strangled, like she hadn’t used it all day!

Rhett’s head whipped in her direction and he smiled when he realized who had said hi. “Hey you, we thought we’d get here before you and get to the table.” They stopped awkwardly about 10 feet from the door and this was the first time she had stood near them. Hot damn they were tall! I mean, Cassie is 5’1”, but still!

“Oh I’m compulsively early. I actually feel like I’m here a little late. That’s something you’ll learn about me.” Her giggle was trying to say “I’m not pushing for anything” but both men nodded. Maybe she hadn’t been too forward.

Link moved to the door, opened it, and gestured for Cassie to step through. “After you.” She stepped in, smiling at him, and she loved the smile she got back. They both seemed so relaxed and genuine. Hopefully their relaxed state would help her relax.

Stepping up to the hostess stand, Link checked in for their reservation. The hostess checked the computer.

“It’ll be about 10-15 minutes. Do you want to wait at the bar?” Cassie wanted to say yes. Alcohol would make this easier. But both men shook their heads and Link spoke up.

“No, we’ll wait here. Thank you, though.”

They moved away from the stand and stepped to the wall. It was suddenly very intimate, all of them very much in each other’s personal space. If Cassie wanted to make eye contact, she would literally have to crane her neck all the way back. So she chose to just look around the entrance to the restaurant. It was an Indian place, so the spices were making her very hungry. Aromas that brought instant pleasure to the senses were wafting through the air and she closed her eyes briefly, just enjoying the moment.

“You okay?” Rhett’s question caused her to snap her eyes open and look up at him.

“Oh yeah, I’m good. This place smells lovely, so I was just taking it in.” Her smile was small, but natural. They were going to get her quirks one way or the other. Why not throw them at these men sooner rather than later?

Link spoke next. “How was work?”

The small talk was a nice reprieve and Cassie welcomed it.

“Work was good. Did Michael tell you what I do?”

“Not really. He said you own a practice, but didn’t really go into it.” Link replied.

“Okay, so I’m a therapist that works with LGBTQ+ and kinky clients exclusively. As a bi woman, and a kinky woman, and a poly woman, I know these niches pretty well. And I could never find a therapist that understood that we aren’t mentally damaged because we like to be tied up and beaten. So I really wanted to build a practice that would help people feel comfortable. I even have a network of doctors that will now refer people to me if they fit this bill, since they feel they can have a better experience with me. It makes it so you don’t have to explain the gay, kinky thing and spend time discussing things that aren’t really the problem.” Cassie stopped to take a breath, and then looked up, blushing.

“Sorry, I got a little carried away. To answer your question, work was good.” Link instantly stepped in.

“No, you didn’t get carried away at all! It’s awesome that you’re so passionate about your work! Not everyone has that.” Rhett put his hand on her back and leaned down so he wasn’t shouting down at them.

“We always want to hear about your work. You probably won’t be able to tell us much, but we know what it’s like to run a business and love what you do. It can take over your life if you aren’t careful.” Rhett was about to say something else, when the hostess walked up.

“Mr. Neal, your table is ready.” She led them to the back of the restaurant, and put down the three menus. The boys slid in together and Cassie once again slid across from them. Classic interview style!

The waitress was right there and they ordered drinks and na’an for the table and then they were suddenly alone. No one said anything for a solid 30 seconds and Cassie wiped her hands on her jeans, trying to distract herself.

“So we read over your paperwork.” Link finally broke the ice. THANK GOD! “There were some questions.”

“Oh yeah, please. Anything you need clarification on, I’m more than happy to do that.” With that, Link pulled out a folded packet of papers from inside his jacket. He took his time, flattening the wrinkles out of the paper.

“First question” Link started and, just then the waitress came with their drinks. Link straightened and sat back, as did Rhett. But Link did not try to cover the sheet. Cassie was impressed that he didn’t act flustered in anyway. As the waitress left, Link once again turned to Cassie and made eye contact.

“Let’s try this again” Link said, a smile on his face. Rhett chuckled and took a drink, waiting for Link to continue. “So your limits were pretty clear. We did have a question about your fluid limit. You said no exchange of fluids. Does this include semen?”

“Yes. If I get a clear STI screening for each of you, I’m okay with oral sex with no condom, and you cumming in my mouth. But I need you to wear a condom with vaginal sex at all times.” She was impressed she didn’t blush through that whole speech. It’s not that she hadn’t said this a million times. But it was Rhett and Link! How could she keep a straight face?

“Okay. We did both get retested recently and can share those results with you. And thank you for include your STI results. That takes a lot of trust. SEcond question. You said anal penetration…” Rhett didn’t get to finish his sentence. And Cassie wasn’t even fully aware of how hard her tone became when she answered.

“Non negotiable.” Rhett’s eyebrows shot up into his hairline and Link sat back a bit. Cassie took a deep breath. “Sorry. Okay, it’s a long story, one I don’t want to talk about right now. But I shouldn’t have been so harsh with you.”

“That’s fair. Everyone has limits for a reason.” Link looked back down at the sheet. “So we think that the best way to go about this is a weekend. We would have you to the house, play for the weekend, and work out what exactly we are all comfortable with.”

Cassie sat back and her finger found her wine glass and began fiddling with it. The guys could tell she was thinking, and they let her. No interruptions. Which she appreciated.

“I think that will be okay. Would I come over FRiday night and leave Sunday?” Rhett nodded.

“That’s what we were thinking. That way you can come after work and unwind. It will be really low pressure.” Cassie smiled. Low pressure can mean a lot of different things.

“Will you want to have sex that weekend?” Link was taking a drink and his eyebrows shot up, but he finished his swallow and set his glass down.

“Not necessarily.” LInk said carefully. “If it happens organically, that will be great. But no pressure. Sex isn’t included in all of our play, so we can play without a sexual aspect.” Cassie nodded.

“I think a weekend is a good idea. But I need to tell you something first.” She had to tell them. There was no way they could enter into this relationship without her being totally honest. That would undermine everything. “I…” And once again, the waitress appeared. She had the worst timing!

“Are you ready to order?” Cassie hadn’t even looked at her menu! But just as she started to flip, Link spoke up.

“We’ll have a Butter Chicken, Lamb BIryani, and Paneer Tikka Masala for the table to share. Also garlic na’an.” The waitress wrote it all down, smiled, gathered their menus, and walked away. Cassie looked at Link for a second and couldn’t decide what to say first.

“You were saying” was prompted by Rhett. And they were both looking at her as she took a deep breath to calm her rapidly rising heart rate.

“Okay, you don’t know this about me. So I’m not going to be angry. But I hate when someone orders food for me. It’s why force feeding is a hard limit. I like control over my food. So, in the future, may I order for myself?” Cassie met Link’s eyes and was hoping she wasn’t pushing too many buttons. She was already going to be breaking some big news to them. No need to ruffle their feathers over something this ridiculous.

“I didn’t know that would be a problem for you. In the future, you can definitely order. I’m sorry I made you uncomfortable.” Link genuinely looked sorry, and Cassie smiled at him.

“You didn’t know. You’re right. It’s not in anything you would have read about me, and I didn’t tell you. But thank you.” Cassie took a sip of wine. “Okay, back to what I was saying. When Michael gave me your info, he gave me your scene names, not your vanilla names. So when we met for lunch, I didn’t know who I was meeting.” The guys looked at each other. This was not news to them. They had asked that their names be held back and they would introduce themselves.

“I’m a mythical beast. I’ve watched your videos for years. I didn’t know if this would be a deal breaker but I knew I had to tell you. I felt bad not telling you before, but I feel guilty now. So, there it is. I know who you are. I know the show.” Cassie was rambling. And speaking so fast! She knew that they were staring at her and was honestly not sure all of that came out in the right way.

There was silence at the table. Like crickets chirping silence. Cassie wanted to drop her head. To run away. To escape the situation. But she knew that she needed to stay. If there was any hope of her getting to be their submissive, she had to own what she knew.

Rhett cleared his throat and leaned forward on his elbow, stroking his beard. LIke he was looking for words. Looking sideways at Link, and then back at Cassie, his mouth quirked. “We know.”

“What?” came out a bit louder than Cassie intended and she clapped a hand over her mouth as people turned and looked. Link laughed and leaned towards Rhett, putting his hand on Rhett’s thigh and leaned his into him.

“Michael told us you were a fan before we met for the first time. I think that’s actually why he suggested you in the first place. He thought it would be funny. We were waiting to see how long it would take before you said anything.”

“That mother fucker!” Cassie cursed as she sat back and tried not to smile. This was not okay. Michael was going to suffer for this.

Rhett’s eyebrow quirked. “Language, young lady.” Cassie met his gaze for a moment and then ducked her head, her hair falling into her face.

“I’m sorry, sir.” It was soft and timid and yet wholly natural. That eyebrow was going to have her groveling in this relationship. She already knew it.

Dinner came at that point and they ate in silence for a bit before they continued talking about work. As the meal finished, Cassie pulled out her phone and opened her calendar app.

“So what weekend were y’all thinking?” Her next few weekends were open, although she did have an away conference coming up that they would eventually have to work around.

“What about this upcoming weekend? That gives us a couple of days.” It was Wednesday now, and Cassie was available.

“This weekend works. Let me put it in. Can I have your address for the location? That way Google Maps will pull it up when I need directions.” Cassie was tapping away and then Rhett’s fingers curled over the top.

“I’ll type it in.” His fingers flew across the screen and made short work of inputting the address. Glancing at it, Cassie realized it was a solid hour in drive in Friday traffic. UGH! But it was going to be worth it.

“Okay, Friday. All scheduled. I’ll text you when I leave work on Friday, but it’ll probably be close to 7:30 by the time I get there from my office.”

Link answered for the two of them. “That’s fine. We’ll make dinner and have it ready for you. We can figure out a cooking schedule for the rest of the weekend. You cook, right?”

“I do. Living by yourself, it’s that or delivery. And you can only eat so much honey chicken!” Cassie smiled as she tucked her phone away. As this whole scheduling process was going on, Rhett had taken care of the dinner bill and they all got up to leave.

Standing outside of the restaurant, Cassie pointed to the left. “I parked that way.”

“We parked around the other side. Do you want us to walk to your car?”

“No! It’s right there, not a problem. You can be chivalrous another time.” Link cracked a smile and moved forward.

“Well we will see you Friday. I’m sure we will talk before then, though.” With that, he leaned in and Cassie thought he was going for a hug. But his head dipped down and he dropped a kiss on her forehead before wrapping his arms around her. As he stepped back, Cassie’s arms dropped before she was pulled slightly forward by Rhett. His kiss landed on the top of her head, but his hug was stronger, more solid. Like he wanted to calm her down with this simple gesture.

As Rhett stepped back, Cassie fumbled for her keys in her pocket and pulled them out.

“Okay guys. Text me.” She smiled at them, and then turned. _Don’t fall. Don’t trip. Don’t do anything stupid. Just get in the car and get out without making a fool of yourself_. Cassie successfully made it to the car, into the car, and started the car. She wasn’t quite sure how, but suddenly she was on the street driving home. As she pulled up to a red light, she put on the brakes and then dropped her head back.

“Jesus Christ...what am I getting myself into!?”


End file.
